SOURCES OF EVIDENCE FOR REVOLUTION

Organisms inhabiting the earth have changed

overtime, their structures, traits, and abilities
allowed them to adapt and survive in their
environment. Data from fossil records,
anatomy and morphology, embryonic
development and biochemistry could be
analyzed to demonstrate if evolution of life on
earth has taken place.
EVIDENCE FROM
FOSSIL RECORDS
WHAT ARE FOSSILS?
Fossils are preserved remains or traces of
animals, plants, and other organisms from the
past. Fossils are examples of evidences that
paleontologists use in studying evolution.
They are remains such as bones, shells,
teeth, and also feces embedded in rocks,
peat, resin and ice.
TYPES OF FOSSILS
MOLD FOSSILS
Is a fossilized imprint made in the substrate. The
substrate is the rock or sediment on which a fossil
makes its mark. Unlike cast fossils, mold fossil are
hollow. Due to the way this type of fossil is formed,
the resulting image is a negative image of the part
of the organism’s body that made the impression.
Common mold fossils include skin, leaves, teeth,
claws and embryos.
MOLD FOSSILS
CAST FOSSILS
Are like mold fossils in that they formed, at
least in part, with an imprint made in a rock or
sediment. However, cast fossils go one step
further. Once the hollow mold is present, they
are subsequently filled in with minerals that
later harden for form solid rock. In other
words, mold fossils take up negative space
and cast fossils take up positive space.
CAST FOSSILS
TRACE FOSSILS
Also called ichnofossils, do not
contain information about the
organism itself. Rather, they contain
information on traces left by the
organism. Common examples of trace
fossils include burrows, nests,
footprints, dung and tooth marks.
TRACE FOSSILS
TRUE FORM FOSSILS
Are large body parts of an
organism that has been replaced
by minerals. True form fossils are
formed by a process called
petrification.
TRUE FORM FOSSILS
GEOLOGIC TIME SCALE
The geologic time scale is the calendar for
events in Earth history. It subdivides all time
into name units of abstract time called Eons,
Eras, Periods, Epochs, and ages. Era is the
largest division of Geologic Time Scale,
namely Late Proterozoic, Paleozoic,
Mesozoic, and Cenozoic. Each Era is also
divided into Period.
DETERMINING THE AGE OF FOSSILS
Many fossils have no living representatives today.
By comparing the fossils in the different rock
layers, scientists were able to infer the changes
that occurred in the characteristics of various
organisms and to reconstruct the order of changes
that these generations of organisms have
undergone.
The period at which the various fossilized
organisms existed on Earth can be estimated.
DETERMINING THE AGE OF FOSSILS
ABSOLUTE DATING- method used in analyzing
the age of rocks where fossils are found using
radioactive elements or radioisotopes to determine
the rate of decay of certain radioactive isotopes.
RELATIVE DATING – method used to determine
the age of the rocks by comparing them with the
rocks in the other layers. The younger rock is
found on the top layer and the older rock is found
in the bottom layer.
EVIDENCE FROM
FOSSIL RECORDS